Protests at Columbia and other schools escalate

Over 130 people were arrested at New York University at a pro-Palestinian protest Monday night, although an official number is still being tallied, an NYPD official told CNN.

The demonstrations haven't been violent overall, except for a few bottles thrown at police officers, and almost everyone was arrested for trespass Monday, the official said.

The demonstrations are mostly student vs student, in comparison to the usual student vs government or institutions. That has posed a unique challenge for police, the official said. 

There is an element present at these demonstrations of what law enforcement has previously identified as “professional agitators,” or demonstrators who are known by police who always show up to stir things up, the official said.

The NYPD is not planning on making changes to staffing because of the protests, the official said. 

Taylor Romine contributed to this report.

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Inside the Seder dinner on Columbia's Gaza protest encampment | CNN

A group of Jewish and non-Jewish students gathered at the Gaza protest encampment at Columbia University Monday evening to celebrate Seder, a ritual feast at the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

“Passover is the story of our escape from slavery from the land of Egypt and I think we need to recognize that on Passover, it’s important to stand up for oppressed people everywhere, whether they are Jewish or not,” said Columbia graduate student Jared Kannell.

Columbia student Cameron Jones told CNN: “I am Jewish and, to me, Passover symbolizes perseverance and resilience. I think this encampment represents those two ideals because we have seen the university take countless measures to try to suppress our student activism, and here is us persevering through that.”

Produced by CNN's Hazel Tang, Maya Blackstone, Bryce Urbany and Henry Zeris.

The arrests of dozens of pro-Palestinian, pro-divestment activists at Yale University has not deterred protesters from uniting for another demonstration Tuesday.

Yale University police arrested 45 protesters Monday and charged them with criminal trespassing after they refused orders to leave, said police in New Haven, Connecticut.

About a dozen protesters remained Tuesday morning – some with sleeping bags in front of the school’s library. But Beinecke Plaza – the scene of Monday’s arrests – was closed and under police guard.

The rally echoed a spate of pro-Palestinian demonstrations unfolding across other college campuses.

Tensions have escalated at many US universities since the October 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas, in which about 1,200 people were killed, and Israel’s subsequent war on Hamas in Gaza, which has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Read more here.

The New York Police Department shared a letter to social media on Monday that the department said came from New York University after protesters refused to comply with repeated requests to disperse from Gould Plaza on campus.

“Our officers responded to the location without delay and dispersed the crowd — making numerous arrests, as necessary,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said in a post on X.

In the letter, NYU said they considered “all protesters occupying Gould Plaza to be to be trespassers and we would like the NYPD to clear the area and to take action to remove the protesters,” the NYPD said in the post.

Protesters were active Monday at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley campus, but school officials say they are focused on academics and ensuring the protests don’t interrupt campus operations.

“With three weeks left in the semester, Berkeley is prioritizing students’ academic interests. We will take the steps necessary to ensure the protest does not disrupt the university’s operations. There are no plans to change the university's investment policies and practices,” campus spokesman Dan Mogulof told CNN.

According to Mogulof, the attendees were pro-Palestinian protesters. 

He said about 100 people held a “relatively peaceful rally” earlier in the day and they began to set up tents around 12pm PT (3pm ET) in Sproul Plaza.

Sproul Plaza is one of the central areas on the school's campus. 

The spokesman was unable to provide a count as to how many tents were set up in the plaza. 

Mogulof added, “We are getting reports from Jewish students who feel uncomfortable.”

Campus police were present and there were no arrests made earlier in the day, Mogulof said. 

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt announced the closure of its campus Monday night “for the safety of the campus community as protesters continue occupying Siemens Hall” and will remain shut down through Wednesday. 

According to school officials, “the University is deeply concerned about the safety of the protesters who have barricaded themselves inside the building.” 

The university said it is “urgently asking that the protesters listen to directives from law enforcement that have responded and to peacefully leave the building.” 

This comes as tensions continue to rise on several US college campuses experiencing pro-Palestinian protests organized largely by students, CNN reported. 

“The campus community is advised to avoid the area of the building, as it is a dangerous and volatile situation,” the university message said.  

In person classes will be remote where possible but students should contact their instructors for guidance, the university said. 

Cal Poly Humboldt is one of three polytechnic universities in the California state university system and is located in Northern California near the Oregon border. 

CNN has reached out to local and state police for further information.  

A pro-Palestinian student organization at Harvard University was suspended for allegedly violating school policies amid protests on college campuses across the country, according to the student group and a source with knowledge of the suspension.

Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee was suspended for cohosting events with non-recognized organizations, the source said.

The organization posted about the suspension on its social media pages Monday. 

“You can suspend our organization and threaten our students. But you will never silence our calls for divestment from apartheid, occupation & genocide,” a slide in the multi-photo post on X and Instagram read. “We call on the Harvard community to fight against repression and join the movement for Palestinian liberation.” 

A statement sent to CNN Monday by university spokesperson Holly J. Jensen said Harvard works closely with recognized student organizations to make sure they are following policies in the Student Organization Resource Guide. 

“The College is committed to applying all policies in a content-neutral manner and in close partnership with our student organizations. All student organizations are required to participate annually in training on these policies, and any organization found in violation of the policy is subject to corrective action,” the statement read.